


Omega Shoe Repair

by musketrois (B_kate)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Ficlet, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, New York City, No Smut, Omega Louis, Photographer Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:08:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22888081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_kate/pseuds/musketrois
Summary: “Can I help you with anything?” The worker asked.Heat spread across Harry’s cheeks as he realized he had been silently staring.“Yes!” Harry scrambled to find the words he needed when all he wanted to do was continue admiring his surroundings, the man included.The man’s smile didn’t falter as Harry gathered himself, continuing, “I had some questions.”Harry walked closer and placed his warm hands on the edge of the counter. “My favorite pair of boots need resoled but I wanted to check if you’d be willing to do that for me.”orHarry needs to get his favorite pair of boots fixed.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 38
Kudos: 314





	Omega Shoe Repair

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [pinkcords](http://pinkcords.tumblr.com/) for editing this work. And thank you to [2tiedships2](http://2tiedships2.tumblr.com/) for putting up with my constant whining. 
> 
> I was walking in FiDi one night and saw a bright, red neon sign that said _Omega Shoe Repair_ and then this happened.
> 
> Capitalizing Alpha and Omega is a stylistic choice of mine. I also know nothing about cobblers. Please excuse the extreme inaccuracies.

Harry cursed as he felt the heel of his boot give way, stumbling on the sidewalk. 

He knew he needed to wear a different pair of shoes, but he couldn’t part with his favorite Chelsea boots. It wasn’t his fault the constant walking he did in New York City had finally damaged one of the rubber heels. 

As he walked towards the subway station, he resigned himself to switching to wearing another pair of the plethora of boots he owned. The sun had long since finished setting and the streets of the Financial District were cast in the orange shadow of street lights. Aside from the occasional bar, all of the shops along the street were dark. 

The bright glow of a red neon sign caught his attention. He read the words _Omega Shoe Repair_ as he strode past. Harry only made it a few more steps before it hit him. While thinking about his worn down boots, he’d passed a shoe repair store!

Harry pulled up a blank note on his phone and carefully typed out the address written in stylized black paint above the bright sign. 

It was fate. Where else was he going to find a shoe repair store anyway?

-

The address lay forgotten like several other notes in his phone as Harry was bombarded with holiday themed photo shoots.

It wasn’t until things had died down after the New Year that the shoe repair came up again. 

He was lounging on his couch with his feet propped on the coffee table when his housemate spoke up from his own sprawled position on a chair across the living room. 

“No offense, but I think you need new shoes. Those are looking rough. Your germ covered shoes shouldn’t be on the table anyway!”

Harry took his feet off the table and crossed one foot over his opposite leg to examine the boots. Maybe Niall was right. There were a few suspicious spots on the worn rubber. Who knows what he could’ve stepped in around the city.

“I actually found somewhere to get them fixed instead of throwing them out!” Harry got excited as he pulled his phone out to locate the note.

“What’s it called?” Niall asked, though Harry could tell he had no interest in continuing the topic. 

Harry glanced down. “Omega Shoe Repair.”

“Should you really be going there?” Niall questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Why not?” Harry furrowed his brows in confusion.

“The name, Harry?”

Now Harry was even more confused. Niall took pity on him when he saw Harry’s bewildered expression. “Do you think that maybe it has the word Omega in the title because it’s a shop for Omegas?”

Realization finally dawned on Harry. Society had progressed a lot in the last two hundred years but that didn’t mean Omegas were equal to Alphas or even Betas. As an Alpha, Harry had so much privilege that it was easy for him to forget that he wasn’t always welcome anywhere he wanted to go. Omegas maintained their own safe spaces to rid themselves of the pressure accompanying second genders. 

“Knew your Alpha brain would catch on eventually,” Niall joked, smirking. 

Harry sighed. “Guess I’m back to my plan of throwing these out.”

-

It was midday on Saturday when Harry next saw the repair shop. He had photographed a wedding nearby and was lugging his camera equipment back to the subway, weaving around chalkboard signs on the sidewalk for various shops along the way. 

Harry dodged a person walking out of a store. He grumbled to himself about lack of manners when the person didn’t apologize and was ready to continue on his way when he saw which store it was.

In the daylight, Harry could make out stacks of shoes on display inside the store. Its large, glass windows were pristine and a cheery ”open” sign hung on the front door. 

Harry thought back to his revelation with Niall. It couldn’t _hurt_ to go in and ask if they preferred Omega clientele, right? The store couldn’t technically refuse him service based on his second gender, thoughHarry would never put up a fight about it. He would always respect the decisions Omegas made when it came to how they handled Alphas.

With his mind made up, Harry took a calming breath and pushed through the front door. 

As soon as his feet touched the plush carpet, Harry felt warm. The space was covered with dark wood that was lovingly polished. Light fixtures illuminated the space rather than industrial fluorescents. Delicate lilies overflowed from vases around the room, their smell immediately putting him at ease. 

“Welcome!” A voice called from behind the counter at the back of the store, pulling Harry from taking in the interior. 

Well worn tools were artfully displayed on the wall behind the counter. Harry could see empty spots where some of the tools were currently in use. Below the display were cubby holes full of shoes waiting to be worked on or picked up by their owners.

He cautiously walked to the counter. Bright. That was the word that popped into Harry’s head when he saw the person behind the voice, unguardedly smiling at him from where he was working on a shoe. Just as when Harry walked into the store, he instantly felt calm under his friendliness. 

For a moment, Harry was mesmerized by the site in front of him. The man was a few inches shorter than Harry. Where Harry was broad and toned, the stranger looked made of compact, soft curves. He had brown hair that swooped over his forehead and enough scruff to make his cheekbones standout. 

“Can I help you with anything?” The worker asked.

Heat spread across Harry’s cheeks as he realized he had been silently staring. 

“Yes!” Harry scrambled to find the words he needed when all he wanted to do was continue admiring his surroundings, the man included. 

The man’s smile didn’t falter as Harry gathered himself, continuing, “I had some questions.”

“Maybe I can answer them,” he easily replied as he set his work down to give Harry his full attention. 

Harry walked closer and placed his warm hands on the edge of the counter. “My favorite pair of boots need resoled but I wanted to check if you’d be willing to do that for me.”

“I hope I can do a simple resole. Any cobbler worth their salt should be able to,” he said with a delicately cocked eyebrow. 

The heat that hadn’t quite left made a resurgence across Harry’s cheeks. “It’s just- I saw the name of the shop and, um, wasn’t sure if you do repairs for Betas and Alphas?” Harry couldn’t believe how much he was embarrassing himself in front of this person. 

“It’s more a sign for everyone. Omegas know they’re welcome here and any asshole who can’t handle Omegas in charge knows to stay away.”

His voice was kept light, yet firm. Harry suspected he was testing how Harry would react. 

“No worries. I just didn’t want to intrude if the shop was meant for Omegas.” 

Harry received a soft smile in response. “I’d be happy to fix your boots for you.”

“Great!” Harry could feel his smile verging toward, what his friends affectionately called, his manic frog face as silence crackled between them. Now that he had been in the shop a few minutes, Harry realized the flowers were there to cover the strong scent of adhesive used to bind soles to shoes. 

The worker clears their throat. “Do you have them with you, or…”

Harry’s smile fell. “No, I’ll have to bring them another time.”

“No worries!” The man disappeared behind the counter for a moment before standing back up with a card in hand. “Here’s our business card so you can have our hours. Come by whenever you’re able. I’ll be here!”

“Thank you. I will,” Harry said as he slid the card into his back pocket. Before he could embarrass himself further, Harry turned away and made what he hoped was a casual exit. It wasn’t until he was analyzing every moment of the interaction while on the subway that he realized he had never introduced himself or asked for the man’s name.

Harry buried his face in his hands in exasperation over himself. The only thing that soothed his anxiety about making a fool of himself was the fact that he would get a second chance.

-

Harry needed to get out of his apartment. With no photo shoots booked, he had spent Saturday reading in bed. By Sunday, he felt an itch to do anything as long as it involved leaving his building. 

He decided to search out a coffee shop for a change of scenery and was rifling through the pile of shoes in his closet when a new idea came to him. He could take his shoes to get fixed. It was a bit of a trek from his Upper Manhattan apartment, but he was more than willing to chill out on the subway for a while. Nobody but Harry needed to know that he hoped the same person would be there. 

After grabbing a book and throwing the boots into a spare shopping bag, he was ready to face the day, determined to not appear as awkward this time. 

The shop was becoming easy for Harry to find. Nerves coursed through him over the possibility of seeing the man again, but Harry didn’t feel a need to prepare himself before he pushed through the front door. This time, bright red camellias filled the shop with a floral scent. 

Harry wasted no time making his way to the back counter. Another customer was already there inspecting a shoe with the nameless man. Harry politely stopped a few feet behind the customer and took the opportunity to observe the cobbler again. 

It was winter, yet the man’s skin had a glow to it. Harry also noticed how delicately he moved while interacting with the customer. He had never noticed someone’s wrists and hands before, yet here he was, entranced by their assurance as the man took the customer’s money and opened the antique cash register sitting on the counter. Long eyelashes cast a shadow over his high cheekbones when he blinked. 

Harry prided himself on not falling into stereotypical Alpha behaviors when he saw someone he was attracted to. The perception that Alphas always got what they wanted still lingered. He shook his head as he realized he was doing what other Alphas did when they found a potential mate, analyzing every bit of them to see if they could successfully make a move. Harry forced his eyes away from the wide set of the stranger’s hips. He didn’t even know the person’s name. He needed to get it together. 

The customer turned away from the counter and it was now Harry’s turn. The worker smiled at him. “Hello again.”

“You remember me?” Harry asked, the words slipping from his lips before he could think of another reply. 

“We don’t get too many Alphas in here.”

“Oh, right,” Harry replied.

“I didn’t say you being here was a bad thing,” the man said with an added wink. 

Harry felt his jaw slacken at the forwardness. He was at a loss for words. Should he say something flirtatious back? The more he thought, the longer the silence dragged on. His lack of reaction was becoming too awkward to bear. 

“I, uh- brought my shoes to be fixed.” Brilliant. Harry was a genius at this whole being a human thing. 

The man just continued to patiently smile at him as Harry fumbled his boots out of the bag and set them on the counter. A piece of paper was slid across the counter to Harry along with a pen.

“Should have them done by next weekend, but we’ll give you a call when they’re ready. If you just fill out this form, you’ll be good to go,” he told Harry.

Harry dutifully filled in all the blanks on the paper as the man attached a tag to the zipper of one shoe and placed them in a cubby on the wall.

The man glanced at the filled out sheet before speaking. “Great! I’ll give you a call, Harry.”

For some reason, Harry’s mind thought it was a good idea to shake hands with the man. He instantly regretted it, but it was too late to take his offered hand back.

“Thank you. Sorry, I, um, don’t know your name?” With the obviously smooth ask, Harry was right back to having flaming cheeks and cursing himself for being the most awkward person in New York City. 

The man pulled his hand away to hide his laugh behind. He seemed genuinely amused, not put out by Harry’s bumbling. 

“I’m Louis,” he informed Harry with a smile. Harry swore it easily rivaled the sun.

Harry paused as he turned to go. “Thank you, Louis.”

Once he was far enough away from the shop, Harry let his shoulders he had squared in faux confidence drop. He still felt like a complete fool, except now he had a name to match the man who had easily charmed him after two brief encounters.

-

Many people would call him a naive romantic, but Harry firmly believed in fate. What others thought was pure mysticism, Harry thought was an inevitability. Sure, he had hopes and a few elaborate fantasies of how he wanted life to turn out. However, he trusted that whatever powers may be had a reason for whatever happened to him. This did not mean that he didn’t follow his own free will. It just meant that the outcome of that free will was out of his hands. 

An instance of Harry exercising this free will came the following week. Harry knew absolutely nothing about Louis, yet he couldn’t get him off his mind. He kept thinking about what it would be like to have a real conversation with Louis outside of the shop and may have made his own scenario of how it would go. A few days of this led to Harry’s decision: he would ask Louis on a date when he picked his shoes up.

A large part of Harry worried that it was inappropriate to do. Afterall, Louis was assumedly nice to all of the shop’s customers. Harry wasn’t special and he didn’t want to make Louis feel uncomfortable when he was only trying to do his job. And if Louis was an Omega like Harry suspected he was, Harry didn’t want to be the Alpha that intimidated him into a date.

Harry spent the later part of the week constantly checking his phone in case he missed the call. On Friday morning, it came. Harry was finishing packing away his equipment from a long shoot in a rented studio space when an unknown New York number showed on his phone screen. Harry eagerly answered in hopes it wasn’t another robo call or potential client.

“Hello, this is Harry Styles.”

“Hi, Harry! This is Louis from _Omega Shoe Repair_. How are you?” came Louis’ distinct voice.

“I’m doing alright,” Harry replied in what he hoped was a cool way. Not too eager to chat, but also not indifferent to the conversation.

“Good to hear! I was calling to let you know your shoes are ready for pickup. I’m open until 5 if you can make it today.”

“Yes! I have time this afternoon. I should be able to come by.”

“Great. See you then.” Louis replied.

“Thank you.”

“Thanks!” Louis chirped back.

It was a standard phone call between an employee and customer, unnecessary thank yous exchanged and all. Still, Harry’s heart was racing from the simple exchange and in preparation for what he had planned. 

He didn’t want to seem like he had nothing else to do besides immediately pick up his shoes, so Harry made his way to the subway to drop his equipment off at his apartment. When he finished, it was still what Harry considered too soon to go to the shop, but he had nothing else to do.

“What are you doing?” Niall asked from the couch.

Harry stopped what he now realized was aimless pacing between his room, the hallway, and the kitchen. 

“Ehm, nothing?”

“I can feel your nervous energy from here. Something’s got you worked up.” Niall commented.

Harry shuffled from the kitchen to the living room so they could have a proper conversation. 

“You know how I took my boots to get fixed?”

“At what was mostly likely an Omega shop?” Niall questioned.

“Turns out it’s welcome to anyone and there’s a man that works there.”

“I don’t see what this has to do with you wearing a hole through our already pretty shitty hardwood floor.”

Straight to the point as ever.

“Well… said man is very attractive. Like instantly ensnared attraction. And lovely to talk with. I know nothing other than his name, but, I, uh, can’t stop thinking about him?”

When Niall didn’t reply, Harry continued on. “So. I’m going to pick the shoes up today. I thought, and this is probably something I shouldn’t have even come up with, why not ask to see him again?”

“Ask to see him again?” Niall said with sarcasm.

Harry threw his hands in the air. “Fine! I want to ask him on a date!”

While Niall didn’t beat around the bush, Harry also appreciated that he took the time to think about issues before blindly agreeing with his friends. 

“I think… it’s not the best idea. But it probably wouldn’t do any damage asking. The worst case is he tells you no and you never see him again.”

“I’m not sure what his secondary gender is and I just don’t want to come across as the overbearing Alpha,” Harry lamented. 

To Harry’s utter confusion, Niall began laughing. “Harry. No offense, but you are the least overbearing Alpha I’ve ever met. I don’t think you intimidating them is going to be an issue.”

Niall wasn’t wrong and Harry knew it. Still. He was always conscious of how he presented himself to other people. It wasn’t that he particularly cared what anyone thought about him. Harry practiced treating everyone with kindness and he hated making anyone feel uncomfortable. 

“Stop worrying about it and go get your shoes, Hazza. I’ll be here for a debrief no matter what happens,” Niall said with a crooked grin. 

Harry huffed from where he was leaning against the living room door frame, but what he said next was sincere. “Thanks, Niall. I’ll be back.”

With that, he resolutely marched down the hallway back to his room to grab his keys and wallet before leaving for what he hoped was not impending doom.

Someone was looking out for Harry, because _Omega Shoe Repair_ was blessedly empty of customers when he arrived. 

“Hello!” Louis called when Harry walked through the door. He was rearranging a display of shoes in the middle of the shop floor. Harry noticed this time the flowers were what he thought were violets. 

“Give me a sec and I’ll get your shoes.” Louis disappeared into the back room of the shop while Harry was left to nervously fidget at the counter.

“Here they are,” Louis said as he placed them in front of Harry. “I had to replace the entire sole on one of them, so it’s going to be $45.”

Harry turned one boot over to look at the work. Of course he knew it was a cobbler’s job to fix shoes, but Harry was still amazed. The boots looked like they did when Harry first purchased them. He couldn’t detect any of the repairs made. He dug his credit card out of his bag and handed it over while still distracted by the shoes. 

“If you could just sign this.” Louis handed Harry a pen and paper receipt, which Harry quickly scribbled his name on. 

“Thank you! Have a good rest of your day,” Louis smiled. When Harry didn’t turn and leave, Louis asked, “Is anything wrong?” 

“No! No! They look perfect.” With Louis’ blue eyes sparkling, it was now or never. “If this is out of line, please just say so and I will leave and we never have to see each other or relive my awkwardness again.”

“Okaaay,” Louis drew out.

“Would you let me take you out sometime?”

Harry noticed Louis’ eyes widen in surprise and his fingers twitched where he was now gripping the countertop. 

“Shit. That was creepy, wasn’t it? I am so sorry.” Harry rushed to soothe the situation before preparing to run away as far as possible.

“You’re sweet. Not creepy. Trust me, I’ve seen creepy.”

“That’s a relief. But you’re still allowed to say no.” Harry reassured him.

“Um, yeah. Actually, I would like to say yes.”

“Yes?”

Louis laughed. “Yes, Harry. You can take me out sometime.”

Harry honestly couldn’t believe his luck. He was fully prepared to be turned down. Asking someone out while they were at work was absurd. Yet there was something about Louis Harry knew he wouldn’t be able to shake.

For a moment, the pair stared at each other in silence brightly grinning at each other. 

“Sooo, do you want my phone number?” Louis coyly asked Harry.

In response, Harry dug around in his bag until he found his phone. He navigated to his contacts and then slid the phone to Louis. 

“I’m free basically every evening once the shop closes. Don’t keep me waiting a week to make plans because you don’t want to text me ‘too soon.’” Louis put the last part in air quotes.

Harry nodded his head seriously. “I promise doing that is the furthest thing from my mind. Could you at least give me a day or two?”

The laugh that erupted from Louis over Harry’s halfway serious joke made him want to melt on the spot. He was starting to worry he’d wake up to the reality that the whole exchange was a dream. There was still a possibility that Louis gave him a fake number because he said yes to the date despite Harry’s assurances that he was not obligated to. 

“And I promise I’ll answer when you finally do.”

Harry finally began turning toward the front door. “See you soon, Louis.” 

“Bye, Harry.” If Harry wasn’t a goner already, the soft look Louis was giving Harry as he left would have sent him plummeting off the edge. 

-

Despite Louis’ warning to not wait too long to contact him, Harry panicked about when to do so. His fingers itched to send a text the entire train ride home, but he was afraid to look too desperate for Louis’ attention. He was convinced being so forward in asking him out seemed overeager enough. 

Instead of texting him that night, Harry busied himself with editing photos before posting them to his website and sending them to clients. It took him almost an hour to fall asleep because he couldn’t stop playing out in his head what he’d text Louis and how their future date would unfold. Harry felt like a giddy high schooler with a crush all over again, though he wouldn’t say he minded the rush of happiness he was experiencing. 

After a leisurely breakfast the next morning, Harry decided he had waited an acceptable amount of time. The doors on the subway he was taking to midtown closed and he quickly hit send on the message he had carefully typed out. This way, Louis’ reply would only come through at another station and Harry wouldn’t stare at the conversation until he answered. 

_Hi! This is Harry. My work hours are flexible. I’ll be able to take you out whenever you’re free. Just let me know!_

Despite his plan, Harry still fretted over whether or not his casual tone came through in the message. A few stops later a reply came.

_You can pick me up at the shop at 6 any night :)_

Harry opened his phone calendar to check for the fifth or sixth time what days he wasn’t booked. 

_How about Thursday?_

That was good, right? Not too soon, but not too far that Louis would forget about him

_Perfect! :)_

He already knew where he’d take Louis so he sent a final message: _Dress casual. See you then!_

When he checked his phone at his destination, Harry had another message from Louis. It was only another smiley face, but Harry couldn’t help being in a good mood for the rest of the day. 

-

Harry very much wanted to text Louis again. Except, he didn’t want to jinx their date. He played it all out in his head. If they texted all week, they might find out they weren’t compatible at all and run out of things to talk about. By the time Thursday rolled around, they’d suffer through an evening of silence before mutually ghosting each other.

Not texting was definitely the safer option. They would have plenty to find out about each other during the date. If there was no connection, maybe they could still part the evening as friends.

Thursday came much sooner than Harry expected. It had been some time since he had gone on a date and his anxiety increased as the day crept along. Of all the times he could possibly embarrass himself, this date was one he really hoped he could act normal through.

It was a reassuring thrill when he received a text from Louis asking if they were still on for the evening. He sent back an affirmative and then tried going back to his work. His concentration, however, was shot. Resigned to the fate of his email inbox, Harry closed his laptop and headed off for a calming shower. 

-

Harry spent the train ride to Louis mindlessly flipping through Instagram and Twitter when he had reception. 

He had put on his favorite pair of jeans and his newly mended boots. A few shops away, he stopped in front of a window to make sure his silky button up looked alright beneath his pea coat and his hair wasn’t too unruly. 

A closed sign hung on the door, which was locked when Harry tested it. Seconds after he rapped on the door, Louis appeared behind it. 

“Hi!” Louis greeted once he stepped out. “Let me just lock this and we can go.”

Harry’s heart lurched with fondness when he took Louis in. He had on a coat much larger than him with a scarf wrapped so he could hide half of his face if he chose. With his tousled hair and eyes tired from a long day of work, Louis looked extremely soft. If this wasn’t their first date, Harry would suggest a night of cuddling on his couch.

He cleared his throat to dislodge his own thoughts as they began walking down the sidewalk. “You’ve probably been to most of the places around here, but how do you feel about going to a gastropub?”

“Thank god you didn’t suggest the Mexican restaurant around the corner,” Louis chuckled to himself.

“But they do have killer margaritas.” Harry seriously stated.

“For sure, but there are only so many dates I can handle having there.”

“Do Alphas often ask you out while you’re at work?” Harry was mostly joking, but he needed to know if he was another knothead Louis couldn’t say no to.

“Nope, you were the first. I’ve learned that young. Wall Street Alphas really enjoy going there.”

Harry would take any and all reassurance that Louis willingly agreed to their date.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

“Hey, now. If you thought you’re the only one who would be doing the wooing, you thought wrong. I get to decide what we should do if there’s a next time!”

He couldn’t stop the smile Louis’ words brought on even if he had wanted to try. Harry loved romance and wooing anyone he saw a potential relationship with, but he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to be wooed himself. Alphas being doted on wasn’t something acted upon yet alone discussed. Louis’ easy dismissal of secondary gender roles continued to excite Harry. 

Once they were seated at the restaurant, Harry’s apprehension returned in full force. Both ordered water from the waiter before silence fell around them as they looked at their menus. Harry shuffled through small talk questions he could ask before the atmosphere became awkward. His mind got distracted by a distinctly secondary gender related matter. Now that they were out of the shop, Harry could smell that Louis really was an Omega.

Harry couldn’t place the smell. It was attempting to trigger a memory that refused to resurface. Then it hit him. The memory of a spring day and orange blossoms twining around a chain link fence. Him and his sister getting scolded for licking the nectar from too many of the flowers. Louis smelled like the honeysuckles at his grandparents’ farm in Texas. 

“You smell like my grandparents.” Harry spoke before his brain worked through the sentence.

Louis’ brows furrowed. “Am I supposed to take that as a good thing, or?”

“Shit.” Harry rubbed a hand across his face. “I meant it in a good way. You smell like the honeysuckle they had behind their farmhouse.”

“And you decided to tell me I smell like your grandparents rather than that?” Louis laughed, though Harry could tell he was poking fun at Harry and not offended. 

“Yeah… sorry. I’ll be honest, it’s been a bit since I’ve done something like this.”

Louis continued his joking tone. “What? Eat at a restaurant instead of ordering off Seamless?”

Harry playfully tapped a pointed boot against Louis’ shin under the table. The only tell Louis gave that he noticed was the challenging smirk he gave Harry. 

“You’re being obtuse on purpose! A date. I haven’t been on a date in a long time.”

Louis reached across the small table and placed a hand on top of Harry’s where it was resting over his discarded menu. Harry’s hand jerked at the sudden contact but Louis’ loose, unexpecting hold kept him in place. “Well, I couldn’t tell.”

They were interrupted by their waiter and Harry was actually glad for it. It broke the intensity of the moment and allowed Harry to regroup. 

“I’m glad it was always you behind the counter when I walked in,” Harry admitted.

Louis gave a sharp laugh. “It’s my shop! I’m the only worker.”

“Oh! That’s really amazing.”

“Thanks. It’s not too often an Alpha gives an Omega like me a compliment for being a business owner.”

“That’s ridiculous. Anyone should be able to do whatever they want with their life without having society judge them, no matter what their secondary gender is.” Harry could feel himself frowning over how far most people still had to go in learning to accept everyone.

“Right? It’s not something you need to tell me about.” Louis gave a humorless laugh.

Of course Louis didn’t need him commenting on something he possibly dealt with on a weekly basis. Harry was making an obvious comment, but at least he didn’t turn it into a chance to Alphasplain like he had witnessed others do to Omegas time and time again. Rather than apologizing yet again for putting his foot in his mouth, Harry allowed Louis to choose where the conversation went.

“Now you know some baseline things about me, but what about you? What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a photographer.”

“I’m not saying this to sound mean. Are you a photographer or someone who has a Nikon camera and calls themselves a photographer?”

“I know exactly what you’re talking about! I can assure you I’m an actual photographer with a fancy art degree.”

“And what do you do with that fancy degree?”

“I do a lot of for-hire work for nonprofit organizations and then take on anything else from people I’ve met through my main work.”

Throughout the rest of their evening, Harry found out Louis had inherited the shop from a great aunt, he grew up helping with the shop, but had a degree in theatre and had too many siblings to keep up with. Louis stole food off Harry’s plate when he thought he wasn’t paying attention and Harry tried not to show how endeared he was.

As with any first date, there were awkward moments. Without saying anything about the obvious pauses in conversation, they mutually agreed to power through with more small talk, which led them off on different tangents they were able to share stories about. Lulls in conversation aside, talking with Louis was easy. 

Harry prepared himself for it to be a one date situation. He became infatuated with Louis on essentially nothing but the fact that he was nice. It had been over two years since he was in a monogamous relationship and Harry’s hopes were not very high. Louis was probably one of those small urges he got every now and then to pursue finding a mate. In a week’s time, he would go back to being fine with being indefinitely single. 

The longer the date went on, the more Harry knew that all of his notions about it being a fleeting fancy were wrong. He would go out again with Louis tomorrow if the Omega suggested it. To keep their dinner going, Harry insisted they share a dessert. They playfully fought with their spoons over chocolate mousse with ice cream.

When the bill came, the waiter handed it to Harry without comment. Louis frowned at the presumption that the Alpha was paying for the meal.

“You know I still would’ve paid. I’m the one who invited you out after all.”

“And I’m glad you did. That still doesn’t mean they couldn’t have asked about the bill.” Louis’ face lost its indignant edge, but a pout remained.

“Next time, remember?” Harry told him as he slid his card into his wallet. 

They couldn’t linger in the restaurant any longer. The servers were already cleaning the unoccupied tables in preparation for closing. Harry stopped next to Louis outside the door, the chilly air turning Louis’ cheeks a rosy pink.

“I’m headed to the two.” Harry pointed his thumb up the street in the direction of the subway stop. 

“Oh, me too! I’m going to Brooklyn.”

Harry tentatively took Louis’ gloved hand in his own and they both began walking to the train. All too soon they had to let go and say goodbye.

Without saying anything, they came to a stop near the Brooklyn bound entrance. Harry rocked back on his heels from jittery nerves. Goodbyes after first dates were always awkward and he didn’t want to finally scare Louis off at the end.

“Goodbye, then,” Louis told him with a crinkly-eyed smile.

Louis stepped closer and raised his arms in invitation and Harry once again mirrored him. His arms wrapped around Louis’ shoulders and he felt the confident press of Louis’ arms around his waist. Harry’s senses were enveloped by the warm smell of honeysuckle and he found himself not wanting to let go. 

They eventually pulled away and Harry said his own goodbye before Louis turned to walk down the stairs. Harry stood there a moment marveling at how right everything felt before accepting that the date was over and he needed to make his way home.

A Brooklyn bound train was pulling away as Harry walked down the uptown platform. Still stuck on Louis, Harry wondered if he was listening to a podcast or reading on his phone as he trundled home. From inside his coat pocket, Harry felt his phone buzz. He assumed it was Niall asking when he’d be home or a random message from his sister. The text waiting for him brought his dimples out full force and he knew they’d remain that way for the rest of the night.

_I really did have a good time. Next time I pick the date :)_

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! (Especially since its been over a year since I posted a fic, whoops.)
> 
> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://musketrois.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> [Rebloggable Tumblr Post.](https://musketrois.tumblr.com/post/610898240065454080)


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